What do you do when your favorite golf club breaks, is lost or stolen?

Over time golfers will find a club that become their go-to-club – the one they rely on when all else is not working or at least a club they have a lot of faith and confidence in. Who knows exactly why the club performs well may remain a mystery. It might not be just all of the specifications of the clubhead, the shaft, the weight or balance, but a combination of all those things that allows the club to work like magic. But if you have been golfing a long time you know that over time things eventually break or get lost or stolen. You might have left a wedge or putter left by the green and never turned in to the pro shop. Face it, you are out you favorite club that you have come to rely on.

Take for instance Phil Mickelson’s driver at this year’s Masters. His driver broke prior to the tournament and was shipped to Callaway’s R&D staff to surgically repair the carbon piece. This was done to ensure the loft, lie, face

angle and the shaft would be exactly the same. Now, if this happened to you, don’t expect your manufacturer to perform this procedure, you better have a back up plan. As a matter of fact, I think this is the first time I heard that operation was used.

But let’s say you took your normal swing and hit a tree root and the shaft broke. Or you happen to be a strong golfer who practices a lot. Over time from repeated use the face flattens out where the roll and bulge were or the club develops a crack around a weld. I heard numerous stories of good golfers who have this happen who goes to extremes and explores all avenues trying to find an exact match even though that club or shaft may not be in production any more.

If you do have a favorite club or even set – think about a back up. It is not unheard of as some golfers have a set for home and another they send down south for their winter residence. If you build your own clubs or seek out a professional clubmaker, make sure whoever builds the club(s) takes very good notes on what was used.

Keep good records of all the specifications and don’t rely solely on what the manufacturer publishes as there are slight tolerances. In addition, take good notes on how it was built including the raw weight and frequency of the shaft, how much is tip trimmed, the final length, swingweight, etc. This gives you the best chance of duplicating the original go-to club.